Newcastle International Airport prepares for 50% increase in half term passenger numbers
Newcastle International Airport is preparing for a busy February half term with over 100,000 passengers expected to travel through the terminal – up 50% on the same period last year.
With over 600 arriving and departing flights expected over the half term period, thousands of passengers will be embarking on holidays to popular beach, city and ski destinations. Many passengers will be heading off on a long-awaited ski holiday, with some eager passengers flying to Geneva and Salzburg to hit the slopes for the first time since 2020.
Dubai, Tenerife, Lanzarote, Alicante and Faro are amongst the busiest beach destinations this half term. Many passengers travelling through hub airports including Dubai, Frankfurt, Paris, London Heathrow, Amsterdam and Dublin, will be connecting further afield to popular long-haul destinations such as Auckland and Sydney.
This anticipated increase in passenger numbers follows a positive start to the year for the Airport, which recently announced that two brand-new airlines, AEGEAN and SunExpress, will be taking off this summer to Athens, Greece, and Antalya, Turkey, respectively.
Despite the rising passenger numbers, the Airport continues to ensure that over 98% of passengers pass through security in 6 minutes or less.
Nick Jones, Chief Executive at Newcastle International Airport, said: “It is great to see the strong demand for travel continuing into 2023, and we look forward to seeing more passengers back at the Airport for the February half term, with many families heading off on a long-awaited holiday.
“It is an exciting time for the business after announcing two new airlines increasing the capacity from Our Airport, plus brand new destinations including Athens, served by AEGEAN, and Shannon and the return of Barcelona for summer with Ryanair. We are pleased to welcome the additional investment in Our Airport, resulting in the largest ever programme of flights to top summer destinations for 2023.”
Meanwhile, the infrastructure of the Airport continues to develop, with a major redevelopment of its security area underway. The project will enhance the passenger experience and see a change to the aesthetics, with Phase 1 due to be completed ahead of Easter 2023.
Newcastle International remains committed to its target of Net Zero Carbon by 2035. Phase 1 of the Airport’s solar farm development is nearing completion, with over 5,500 solar panels in place, and is due to be switched on in March.
For more information about Aegean and SunExpress, please visit en.aegeanair.com and www.sunexpress.com.